So sad to think that so many living things have endured such mistreatment and neglect all at the expense of a fad!

Due to the success of the Harry Potter book series and subsequent film adaptations, many sought out their own pet owls just like the young wizard had, but now that the final movie has been released, hundreds of the birds - which can live up to 20 years - have been abandoned all over England!

Children inspired by the popular books and movies of the wizarding world of have been asking their parents for and trapping owls to copy Harry Potter and his friends.

In the story, Harry keeps a white owl named Hedwig. Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said that "there seems to be a strange fascination even among the urban middle classes for presenting their children with owls."

These concerns came after a report by a wildlife group which showed a sharp decline in India's owl population.

Harry Potter may be part of the problem, however it is not the only reason for this decrease.

Owls have been trapped and traded due to a festival called Diwali, in which owls are said to have magical powers and are used in ceremonial sacrifices.

Members of wildlife are trying to convince kids that want to be like Harry to go bird watching instead of trapping the animals.

We sure hope this gets solved, we don't want the owl population to disappear!